Changing the World …

As every four years, thousands of scouts from every corner of the world gathered in a tented city to live and learn together. That was an amazing and unique experience that can definitely be called once-in-a-lifetime. With almost 40,000 scouts from 146 countries in attendance, the 22nd World was the biggest in the history of world . This made us appreciate the opportunity that we were given by the Operation One World. As a Solidarity patrol 10 scouts from “HASK” were hosted by the scouts of of the UK and enjoyed Home Hospitality for 5 days. They spent fantastic time with Leicestershire scouts and enjoyed a lot discovering . Our next stop was Denmark. Most of the Jamboree participants preferred to travel to Sweden through Copenhagen as the Campsite was closer to Danish capital. It was so impressive to see the arrival of thousands of scouts from different countries at Copenhagen International Airport. After spending three unforgettable days in the country of Hans Christian Andersen, we moved to Rinkaby, Sweden to be part of the most important event for every scout.

Finally, we were at the Campsite, joined with “HASK”s delegation of 12 scouts who came directly from Armenia and it was a true joy to realize that, after years of preparation, the adventures were waiting for us.

The opening ceremony started with a colorful roll call of the 156 flags of the participating countries and the raising of the WOSM flag. Then, Bear Grylls, Chief Scout of the UK, as a special guest of the Jamboree, spectacularly descended from the roof of the stage to welcome the participants. The Jamboree was officially opened by Simon Rhee, Chairman of the World Scout Committee.

The Jamboree program was full of interesting Modules, educational and sport activities.

One of the Modules was called Dream. The idea was for scouts to follow their lives backwards, starting with death and ending with birth. To achieve that, we had to follow a light track through the woods, dealing with several activities along the way. The activities in Dream were not focused on physical movement, yet stimulating our minds and imagination.

Physical activities and mental games were at the Quest Module. Starting in the 21st century, passing by the Prehistoric era, the Vikings, the medieval era and the Conquest; all the activities were full of energizing challenges that help scouts to use the patrol system to succeed.

There were lots to do at the Jamboree! At the Global Development Village you could learn more about what it meant to be a global citizen.

The theme of this Jamboree was Simply Scouting which means scouting experience in all its variety from across the world. In order to experience a traditional Swedish camp and to meet with other

1

Swedish scouts, participants took part in Camp in Camp and Hike in Camp. During the camp we made our cooking over open fire, played games, and tried many Swedish specialties.

Worth mentioning is also the Cultural Festival Day. That was an all day event where everyone could share its culture and cuisine. The day started with food festival; all participants had prepared traditional dishes and served them in national costumes. We decided to make Harissa (one of the most preferred dishes in Armenia made with groats and chicken), rice with raisins, and Tan which is a soft drink (like a yogurt, but salty). The day ended with a carnival that headed to the Main Arena for an evening show.

The 22nd ended with a spectacular Closing Ceremony on the theme Solidarity. The Ceremony took place on a stage with views from every side. Among the invited celebrities were Daniel Lemma, Sanna Nielsen, Kate Ryan and Europe. The flag was handed over to Japan, host of the 23rd World Scout Jamboree in 2015 and the 22nd World Scout Jamboree ended with fantastic musical fireworks. We left the Jamboree without saying good-bye to one another; we said “See you soon” looking forward to meet again in Japan.

Once again we are extending our sincere thanks to Jamboree organizers, Swedish Guide and Scout Council, Swedish support team, UK Scout Association for supporting 10 scouts from Armenia, Eurasia Regional Office and their support team for all their help and patience, making it possible for our scouts to enjoy, learn and experience all the events held in 22nd World Jamboree.

YiS, National Scout Movement of Armenia “HASK” Lilit Zakaryan (UK Contingent Leader) Romanos Petrosyan (Armenia Contingent Leader)

2